The present invention relates to an improvement in the methods used to dry plastic storage bags for later reuse after washing. More specifically, to an adjustable mechanism which provides a means by which a variety of different sized storage bags can by positioned in an inverted and open orientation to allow for the complete drying of both the inner and outer surfaces of the bags. Thus, the present invention enables them to be reused thereby lessening the costs to the consumer and the stress placed on the land fill systems by reducing the amount of waste the average household produces.
The use of plastic storage bags in households across the world has become very common place today. These bags are typically constructed of thin durable and transparent plastic sheets that are sealed together on three edges forming a pouch having a re-sealable closing mechanism generally consisting of a zipper employed to close off the open end of the bag. This configuration provides a convenient mechanism by which such items as leftover and pre-prepped food stuffs, bulk purchased foods, fish and game, and a plethora of other similar small items can be sealed and stored for later use. Additionally, the resealing capability of these bags enhances their utility in these uses as it allows the user to remove partial amounts of their contents, reseal the bag, and return the remainder to the refrigerator or other storage device.
The major problem associated with the use of these plastic storage bags stems from their re-sealable, and therefore reusable, nature. The difficulty associated with the design is that on the initial use small food particles or liquids tend to adhere to the inner surfaces of the plastic bags. The presence of this organic material can lead to the growth of bacteria and other pathogens which renders them unsafe and therefor unuseable. A solution to this problem is to wash all surfaces of the bags to remove this material prior to reusing them. However, because of the thin and flexible nature of the plastic used to construct them it is very difficult to dry them thoroughly as the sides of the bags tend to stick together. This situation severely restricts the flow of air within the bags and leads to a continually damp environment which again is conducive to the of pathogens which renders the bags useless.
The prior art has numerous examples of devices that are offered to make plastic storage bags reusable by providing a means by which they can be effectively dried after washing. The first of these is U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,694 issued to Nejezchleb et al. which provides a horizontally oriented shallow tray having a plurality of vertically positioned hoops extending from its upper surface. The lower and open ends of the hoops fit within corresponding holes in the upper surface of the tray and their position relative to the tray is adjustable through the use of an alternative set of holes. With the hoops properly positioned, the washed bags are inverted and placed over the hoops to dry. The problem with this design is that the hoops are only adjustable to very specific positions relative to the tray which limits its effectiveness with the large variety of plastic storage bag sizes on the market today.
Another example in the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,244 issued to Hollstegge which illustrates a bag drying apparatus comprised of a flat rectangular block having a plurality of rods extending vertically from its upper face. The upper ends of these rods are fitted with a horizontally oriented bar designed to fit into the bottom of the bags when they are inverted and placed on the device for drying. The first of the problems associated with this design is there is no mechanism to collect excess water dripping from the bags during the drying process. Secondly, there is no mechanism to ensure the sides of the bags don""t touch while the bags are drying. These design flaws result in water pooling around its base which must be constantly cleaned up and a situation in which the interior of the bags may never totally dry due to the sides of the bags touching during the drying process. This results in a situation which is conducive to the growth of pathogens thereby destroying the usefulness of washing the bags.
A third example of these types of apparatuses in the prior art is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,137 issued to Collier illustrating a bag drying rack comprised of a plurality of pairs of centrally pivoting rods that have a pair of bases fixed to their lower ends. The apparatus is employed by pivoting the bases away from one another forming a stable platform from which the pairs of rods extends upwards in a X-like manner. The upper ends of these rods then form the portion of the device over which the inverted bags are placed for drying. Similar in its flaws to the device described directly above, there is no drip water collector resulting in pooling water below it and it has no mechanism to keep the sides of the bags completely separated resulting in similar dying deficiencies.
Therefore, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide a mechanism for drying plastic storage bags in a manner that allows the interior of the bags to dry completely so that they may be reused for storage of food stuffs and other similar items. Additionally, that it would be advantageous to provide a plastic storage bag drying device that would both collect and contain the water dripping from the bags and keep the sides of the bags from touching so the interior dries completely facilitating their reuse.
It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a mechanism which will allow consumers to reuse their plastic storage bags by enabling them to be completely dried after washing ensuring that no residue from the previous contents remains on any surface of the bag and rendering them safe to use for any purpose for which they were suitable when new.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide such a mechanism which is equipped with a base configured in the shape of a tray functioning to collect and contain the water dripping from the drying bags thereby avoiding the pooling of water around the base of the invention and eliminating the need for constant attention and cleanup.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a bag drying mechanism which allows them to be partially stretched when inverted and placed on the invention ensuring the adjacent sides will not come into contact with one another and enabling the interior of the plastic bags to dry completely resulting in a storage container that is completely free of pathogens and therefore safe to reuse.
These objectives are accomplished by the use of a rectangularly shaped tray having a floor with vertically oriented sides extending upwards along its longer edges and corresponding edges along its shorter edges. This forms a shallow opened topped tray having the purpose of collecting the water that drips from the surfaces of the plastic storage bags as they dry on the upper portions of the present invention. Additionally, the vertical sides of the base also provide the pivotal mounting points for the front and rear tine assemblies providing the point of placement for the washed plastic storage bags for the drying process.
The front and rear tine assemblies are comprised of a laterally oriented (with respect to the invention""s base) pivotally mounted tine bases. The mounting of these bases is accomplished by the use of a pair of mounting screws that extend through from the outside of the base sides and engage on either end of the tine bases. Additionally, this attachment is made in such a manner so that it leaves the tine bases free to rotate around their point of connection with the attachment screws.
The inner portions of the tine bases are then also equipped with a plurality of bag tines extending perpendicularly therefrom in a manner so that they extend in a parallel manner (in respect to one another) away from the center of rotation defined by the tine bases. The rotational aspect of the tine bases allows the bag tines to be rotated to either a perpendicular orientation with respect to the rack base when configured for bag drying or to a parallel orientation with respect to the rack base when the invention is configured for storage.
In the construction of the present invention the interior of the rack base is equipped with a pair of tine assemblies positioned generally on opposite ends of the base. Additionally, the positions of the tine assemblies with respect to one another spaces the individual bag tines so that the distance between the bag tines on the front tine assembly with respect to those on the rear tine assembly equals the width of the plastic storage bags. This positioning of the bag tines is critical to the operation of the present invention as it allows the plastic storage bags to placed on the bag tines in a manner stretching them to the degree so that their sides do not touch during the drying process. This allows air to pass freely through the interior of the plastic bags ensuring that they will thoroughly dry and be safe for later reuse.
The front tine assembly is also equipped with a mechanism which allows the distance between the front tine assembly and the rear tine assembly to be varied. This is accomplished through the use of an adjustment slot that is cut into the side of the rack base through which the tine base screws pass in the attachment process of the front tine assembly. By sliding the front tine assembly along the length of these adjustment slots, thus, varying the distance between the front and rear tine assemblies, the present invention can be used effectively with a wide variety of plastic storage bags on the market today.
The pivotal nature of the tine assemblies is facilitated by the use of a plurality of positioning tabs located on the surface of the tine bases that is opposite of the bag tines themselves. The positioning tabs are extensions of the tine bases that are flattened on their lower surfaces. These flattened surfaces are employed to engage the upper surface of the base floor when the bag tines have been raised to their perpendicular orientation for bag drying. This is accomplished due to the fact that the positioning tabs resist the rotation of the tine bases when the tine assemblies are in the perpendicular orientation which can only be overcome by the use of an external rotational force placed on the outer ends of the bag tines. This manner of construction creates a stable platform upon which a plurality of plastic storage bags can be placed to ensure their adequate drying for safe reuse.